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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28610955">A Measure of Knowing</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/skycatcher/pseuds/skycatcher'>skycatcher</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Biochips, Canon-Typical Violence, Explosions, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Jedi Council - Freeform, M/M, Memory Loss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 09:00:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>8,162</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28610955</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/skycatcher/pseuds/skycatcher</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>His head hurt. The light was so strong it was coming through his eyelids.<br/>He groaned, gave in and opened his eyes. He was lying down. His head hurt. A man was leaning over him.<br/>“Cody?” said the man.<br/>He studied the man’s face. He looked worried. “Who are you?”</em>
</p><p>The amnesia AU: Cody wakes up with no memory. There appears to be a war. And the man called Obi-Wan seems to know more than he’s letting on.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CC-2224 | Cody &amp; CT-7567 | Rex, CC-2224 | Cody/Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi &amp; Anakin Skywalker</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>199</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>His head hurt. The light was so strong it was coming through his eyelids.</p><p>He groaned, gave in and opened his eyes. He was lying down. His head hurt. A man was leaning over him.</p><p>“Cody?” said the man. </p><p>He studied the man’s face. He looked worried. “Who are you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ah,” said the man, as another person checked his heart rate and peered into his eyes.</p><p>The man’s name was Obi-Wan, so he repeated it after him. “Obi-Wan. You’re Obi-Wan.”</p><p>Obi-Wan blinked, and said, “You usually call me <em> General Kenobi </em>.”</p><p>“All right,” he said. “General Kenobi.”</p><p>“Commander, you’re free to leave,” said the second person, presumably a medical officer. </p><p>He raised an exaggeratedly slow finger to his own chest.</p><p>“Yes, that’s you,” said Obi-Wan. “Commander Cody.” He sighed. “Topside, I’ll request you keep this a seventy-nine jenth. Cody sustained a severe concussion on Ord Mantell.”</p><p>“Yes, sir,” said Topside. They exchanged a significant look. “I assume we’re rendezvousing with the five-oh-first. What about Kix?”</p><p>Obi-Wan looked despairing as he said, “Am I that predictable?” but he conceded. “You may tell Kix. Come along, Cody.”</p><p> </p><p>Cody followed Obi-Wan out into an unfamiliar but deserted corridor, where it seemed practical to stay half a step behind the other man.</p><p>“We’re halfway through a cycle,” said Obi-Wan without prompting. “Most of your brothers off duty are catching a well-deserved break. We captured — or should I say, recaptured — Ord Mantell seven hours ago, and are on our way to our next engagement.” They turned a corner. “I understand this may be a bit overwhelming. We’re walking to my quarters now.” </p><p>Cody nodded. There was nothing else for it. He was — this was — an army. Brothers? In arms, most likely. Ord Mantell was a place. Unless it was a person. And this army was in high demand.</p><p>He hoped that meant they were good at what they did.</p><p>Obi-Wan palmed a door panel and the door slid open. The space beyond was small and utilitarian. “Topside was out of trooper blacks,” he called over his shoulder, as he threw open a locker. “I suppose you’ll want out of those scrubs.”</p><p>Cody looked around, noting a pile of white armour in the corner. It was clearly both well-used and well-loved, detailed in a rich yellow-orange, a full kit. It couldn’t belong to Obi-Wan, who was already wearing vambraces in a different style. A desk piled high with administrative paraphernalia was sandwiched between two chairs. Two empty mugs sat on the precious little remaining tabletop space. One was overturned, so he set it back upright. </p><p>“Here,” said Obi-Wan, handing him a small stack of clothing. “I’ll be in the corridor.”</p><p>Cody slid into the black clothes; they fit him exactly. He gingerly prodded at the bandages around his torso and winced, wondering if he’d acquired this damage before or after the concussion. Self-inspection done, he opened the door to let Obi-Wan back in, feeling like an imposter. “Why do you have my clothes?”</p><p>“You were here, before you — passed out,” said Obi-Wan. That didn’t answer the question. He had clearly been stripped of whatever he had been wearing at the time, and the medic — Topside — hadn’t returned it. They were almost of height, but Obi-Wan had thinner shoulders and a smaller frame than he did; his clothing would not fit Cody.</p><p>“Are we lovers?” asked Cody. </p><p>That seemed to throw Obi-Wan off. “No,” he said, after a moment’s pause, lips quirking. “It might look that way. You’re my second. We spend a lot of time in each other’s company.”</p><p>“I see,” said Cody. Understandable. He looked at the armour again. “Then perhaps you should tell me about this war.”</p><p>Obi-Wan told him about the war. As he talked about the Separatists — “War profiteers,” he muttered — his role — “I’m a Jedi General,” he said, mouth curling, and did not elaborate — and Cody’s one million brothers — numbers probably decreasing as they spoke, thought Cody fatalistically — he pulled the armour to the middle of the floor and set it out in a precise order.</p><p>“Is this mine?” said Cody, when Obi-Wan paused, reaching out and remembering at the last second the answer might be <em> no </em>.</p><p>It wasn’t. “Yes,” said Obi-Wan. He was watching Cody carefully. “Do you remember how to put it on?”</p><p>Cody hesitated. The obvious answer would also be <em> no </em>. Yet there was an indescribable familiarity in the solid plastoid beneath his fingers. His thumb moved, involuntary, and the clasp of the breastplate sprung open.</p><p>“Perhaps a meditative trance,” mused Obi-Wan. He stared at the armour for another second, then seemed to reach a decision. “I digress. We need to be ready to reinforce the five-oh-first,” and took the piece of armour from Cody.</p><p>It was an oddly comfortable weight. Obi-Wan fit the plates to his body with efficient movements, clearly intimately familiar with their mechanics for a man whose own uniform did not include any.</p><p>“Does that feel all right?” said Obi-Wan, eyeing his handiwork critically. He passed Cody the gauntlets, and stepped back. </p><p>Cody slid them on and flexed his fingers. “Yes,” he said. It did feel right, like his muscles were used to bearing this weight, like his mind was more settled despite the worrying blankness beyond the last half hour.</p><p>“Firing range,” said Obi-Wan, and ushered him out into the corridor.</p><p> </p><p>Obi-Wan pressed a hand to the panel of a door that looked very much like all the other doors and strode inside. The doors slid shut behind them, and Obi-Wan latched the in-use safety locks. Cody looked at the neat array of weapons, the weight of Obi-Wan’s presumed expectations settled uncomfortably about his shoulders. “Sir.”</p><p>“Don’t overthink it,” said Obi-Wan firmly, and placed a blaster in his hands, just as shutters on the wall depressed and slid open. Four training droids shot out with a ghastly hum, and opened fire. </p><p>The little shit. Cody didn’t know how Obi-Wan had done it, but it was too late to ask. His first shot caused one of the droids to swerve, the others skittering aside in response, and the second shot knocked one clean out of the air. Cody slid behind a demountable wall, aimed, and fired again, before lunging out to grab Obi-Wan’s arm and drag him behind the shelter. The droids were indiscriminate, which, thought Cody sourly, could only be intentional. </p><p>The remaining droids beelined for their meagre cover. Cody stepped, sighted, and shot. It clipped the foremost droid, sending it squealing into a spin. Cody ducked, and it crashed into the wall beside him. He grabbed it by the leg and flung it grimly at the next droid, taking out its target with a screech of plastisteel on plastisteel.</p><p>The final droid was polished off with a single laser bolt to its main optical lens. </p><p>It hit the ground with a satisfying thud, as Cody said, “That was — dangerous,” trying to keep his voice even. “You didn’t know I could do that.” <em> I didn’t know I could do that. </em> </p><p>“Things were under control,” said Obi-Wan, unbothered. He was not carrying a blaster, and despite the loose cut of his layered tunics, Cody did not think he had weapons concealed on his person. All he had was a cylindrical metal bar snagged on his belt, a tab on its side indicating it was probably mechanised or electrical; its shape leaned towards close combat. </p><p>Cody did not see how things were under control at all. Obi-Wan said, “Try the sniper rifle.”</p><p>The sniper rifle moulded into his hands, heavy, settling his wayward thoughts. <em> Chk-chk. </em>The ammunition pack slotted in smoothly, something he had been too rushed to appreciate with the blaster pistol. Cody let out a breath, and brought the scope to his eye. </p><p>The room, long as it was, was too small to test the range of the weapon. Or — </p><p>“Furthest corner,” said Obi-Wan, even as Cody saw them. A cluster of randomly automated cyclical targets, minuscule even under the scope’s magnification, allowing for almost no error in the laser dispersion as it travelled the distance. </p><p>Cody picked one. He fired. </p><p>“An excellent shot,” said Obi-Wan, cutting himself off abruptly with something that could have been <em> as usual </em>. He must have good eyes, although his pupils looked to be as humanoid as they got; he’d not needed to run the length of the range to inspect the targets.</p><p>Cody reluctantly lowered the rifle as Obi-Wan’s comlink let out a shrill tone, flashing insistently. Obi-Wan tapped the panel, his eyebrows drawn together in a frown. “Anakin.”</p><p>“I sent the intel to Block,” said the blue holo-figure, running, a limp, armoured form slung over his shoulder. “They’ve outflanked us by the foothills, we’re severely outnumbered.” He cursed, dropped the man and spun around, a blade of light igniting in his hand. “There’s a maintenance entrance to the factory on the southern escarpment. If you can stage a distraction —”</p><p>“Understood,” said Obi-Wan. “Stay alive until we get to you.”</p><p>The figure tipped his glowing sword in Obi-Wan’s direction and blinked out. </p><p>“I have to speak to Admiral Block,” said Obi-Wan. “If you could stay here.”</p><p>So it had not been a coincidence the firing range had been empty. He was being shepherded away from anyone who might notice his memory loss. “You were hoping this would trigger my memories.”</p><p>“It appears to be unsuccessful,” said Obi-Wan wryly. “Although your aim has not suffered. I’m afraid you’ll have to stay onboard when —”</p><p>“No,” said Cody. “Sir.”</p><p>Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. </p><p>“Take me with you,” said Cody. “I can shoot. You need all the men you can get, I heard the other general.”</p><p>“It’s an unacceptable risk,” said Obi-Wan sharply. “You didn’t even remember your own name.”</p><p>“I don’t need a name to fight,” said Cody, the back of his mind wondering if he usually spoke this way, and so he missed the thin purse of Obi-Wan’s mouth. “There’s no use keeping me on the bridge. Let me do my job.”</p><p>Obi-Wan pressed fingers to his temple, as if attempting to physically smooth away his pinched expression. “And what, exactly, is your job?”</p><p>Cody said, with bravado he didn’t feel, “Watching your back.”</p><p> </p><p>It seemed, reflected Cody, that he had his work cut out for him. The aerial blockade was worn thin by the passing of the 501st, and with the Separatists’ heavy artillery diverted to combat General Skywalker’s division there was little in the way of anti-air munitions.</p><p>If they could land support troops near the factory, it would allow General Skywalker’s divided forces to regroup, and the General himself an opportunity to finish off the original intention of the raid — destroying the production lines.</p><p>That was not being left to chance. General Kenobi and Cody were to make sure the factory would be blown higher than a Kowakian monkey-lizard on spice, as Obi-Wan had put it, with an endearing grimace that made Cody suspect the analogy was not as metaphorical as he would prefer. </p><p>“Lieutenant, you’re heading Ghost,” said Obi-Wan. “The Commander’s with me. Rendezvous with the five-oh-first and fold in under Captain Rex.” </p><p>A sharp “Yes, sir,” rang out.</p><p>“We’re expecting a comms blackout,” continued Obi-Wan. “They have jammers in place. On the usual signal, fall back and prepare for immediate evac.” </p><p>“Get them good, General,” came a voice. </p><p>“See if you can top Boz Pity,” said another.</p><p>Obi-Wan’s mouth twitched. “Unlikely,” he said. “Although Anakin will try.” </p><p>“Good luck, Commander,” called someone else cheerfully, and Obi-Wan pretended to look affronted while Cody tried not to react, and then there was no more time for banter as the gunship doors unfolded to let them board.</p><p>Ghost Company dropped them on the far side of the mountain range, where the factory was built in and up the cliffs, before strafing through the turret fire to the landing zone. The terrain had been unforgiving; Obi-Wan and Admiral Block had taken a terse thirty minutes to map the flight path, in which Cody had carefully taken stock of all the weapons in the firing range.</p><p>Their boots hit the ground in a cloud of dust. Cody activated his helmet filter and unholstered a blaster pistol, and followed Obi-Wan along the ridge.</p><p> </p><p>“Sir,” began Cody. They were lying flat in the dust, waiting for Ghost Company’s signal that they had started the distraction. Cody had noted the armoury had been stripped of explosives, and it didn’t take long-term memory to work that one out. </p><p>“Cody.” They both had their scopes up; Cody was following the advance of their vanguard, while Obi-Wan’s were panning over the factory directly in front of them. </p><p>Obi-Wan had let him off the flagship. He had given in, easily, after a moment’s thought. Cody, by all accounts, was only his second in command; nothing more and nothing less. </p><p>It was odd Obi-Wan had subsequently decided to take him on what was essentially a solo mission. Very odd. Cody could put two and two together here, too.</p><p>“Is it standard protocol to be on a separate mission from the rest of the squadron?” asked Cody. Then he said, still looking straight through the lenses, “Are you trying to dispose of me?” He’d walked right into this, and now there was no guarantee he was going to walk out.</p><p>Obi-Wan didn’t move his hands, but he turned his head towards Cody, and despite the visor of his full-face helmet, Cody felt the look. </p><p>“Oh dear,” sighed Obi-Wan. He put his scopes down. “No. Quite the opposite, in fact. You are an authority figure; it’s not infeasible someone would take advantage of your current memory loss. Or, as you so eloquently put it, dispose of you.”</p><p>Cody could only take his word for it. He asked, “Who?”</p><p>Obi-Wan said darkly, “I can only guess.”</p><p>In the distance, the line of Separatist tanks exploded.</p><p>“That’s the cue,” said Obi-Wan. “Let’s go.”</p><p>They slid down the rocky ridge. “The schematics said the hatch was here,” said Cody, consulting his display overlay. The wall was solid, covered in dust, and looked extremely unlike a door. Cody frowned, switching his helmet to thermal. It read the cooler tones of metal layered under clay, right where Obi-Wan had his hands pressed to the dusty surface. </p><p>“Hmm,” said Obi-Wan noncommittally. He ignited his lightsaber without fanfare, and stabbed it through the wall.</p><p>He must have hit the control panel, because the hatch slid open with a reluctant hiss of disused pneumatics, crumbling dirt all around it, and they were in. </p><p> </p><p>Obi-Wan kept his lightsaber in a defensive guard as they slipped through the deserted corridors. The Separatists had emptied the factory to deal with the onslaught of the 212th, exactly as planned. </p><p>Some of them seemed to have gotten lost on the way out, Cody thought, as they turned a corner directly into a contingent of droids already milling in confusion. Cody took advantage of their disorganisation to shoot two, and slid into the shelter of a wide-ridged blast door frame. Even as he did, Obi-Wan said, “They’ll raise the alarm,” and lunged back out, lightsaber spinning in arcs of blue plasma. Cody followed him, and it was like the training drill in the firing range, only faster and more destructive. Obi-Wan sliced a droid in half and spun to stab another in the central cortex; Cody used the cover of his movements to pick off the droids further down the corridor. </p><p>“This way,” said Obi-Wan, and started running. They didn’t have the internals for the factory, but as Obi-Wan tersely explained, plant rooms were almost always at the basement levels, where the reactor could sit safely against the foundations of the building. They slid into the elevator and pressed the arrow downwards. </p><p>“This factory has two main cores and one reserve,” said Obi-Wan. “We need to get them all for the factory to be unsalvageable.”</p><p><em> Ding. </em> The elevator shuddered to a stop. The doors slid open.</p><p> </p><p>There was no one there. Obi-Wan took point without hesitation, and Cody followed him to the first reactor room, wincing at his steps ringing against the walkway.</p><p>Obi-Wan knelt to check the couplings, and cocked his head. “Anakin is here,” he said. “Standard fuse is twenty minutes. We will have to set them and go. Now.”</p><p>“How will General Skywalker know we’re setting the charges?” asked Cody.</p><p>Obi-Wan paused. “He won’t. I’m counting on him doing the same.”</p><p>This led to a roundabout line of thought that made Cody’s head throb with the dregs of his earlier headache. There was nothing for it. Cody placed the detonators against the panel, flicked the timer, turned, and ran.</p><p>They found General Skywalker in the backup reactor room, caked in dirt and sporting a sluggishly bleeding cut across the forehead. He barely acknowledged their arrival, instead intent on setting charges against the foot of the reactor casing. Then he stood to face them, and Cody could see he was tall; lanky but strong, and from his cold expression — angry. </p><p>Obi-Wan flashed the detonator timers lined up on his forearm, and said, “If you’re quite done.”</p><p>“You know me,” said General Skywalker, as the tandem clanking of what was undoubtedly more droids echoed increasingly down the corridor. Cody switched out his blaster pack and turned to face the door.</p><p>“I do believe we’ve outstayed our welcome,” said Obi-Wan mildly, and Cody turned back around at the now-familiar sound of a lightsaber slicing through metal. The latch on the ceiling vent had been cut to reveal a ladder that dropped down to the floor. He frowned — the vent entrance was very high up — but there was no time to contemplate it as Skywalker grabbed the first rung.</p><p>“Ventilation and maintenance,” said Skywalker, peering upwards. “Huh.” He leapt onto the ladder and scaled it with a nimble ease. Cody looked at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan looked back at him. Cody started climbing. </p><p>The vertical tunnel opened out to a narrow ridge that contoured along the mountainside. Skywalker kicked the panel away, hinges slashed to molten sludge, and ducked out into the open air, raising his wrist to his mouth. “Shadow Squadron, one gunship to my location, we need extraction now. Skywalker out.”</p><p>“Copy that, sir,” crackled his comm. Cody stepped out onto the ridge beside him, almost immediately buffeted by a gust of wind. He bent his knees for some stability, and pressed his back to the cliff. Behind him, Obi-Wan did the same, lightsaber powered down.</p><p>“We weren’t supposed to be on the ground,” said Skywalker to them, words tossed by the wind. The blood and dirt on his face and his matted hair gave him a wild look. “This was supposed to be a strike force bombardment. But they had more — a lot more — fighters than Republic intelligence reported. We lost almost all the Y-Wings.” Skywalker’s hands were white-knuckled around his lightsaber hilt.</p><p>“I noticed,” said Obi-Wan grimly. “How did they get around the Felucia-Mark-Three-West-Hemisphere-Thirty-Second-Quadrant-Fifth-Division-Hybrid formation?”</p><p>“We really need a shorter name for that,” said Skywalker, but it had brought a small smile to his tight expression. “And — I don’t know. It’s still our most successful manoeuvre. We have another intel leak, I suppose.”</p><p>Obi-Wan radiated displeasure, but said nothing. That was when the turrets started shooting at them.</p><p>“Run!” barked Skywalker, instead of pressing against the meagre cover of the cliffside. He took off, following the narrow path with a surefootedness Cody had no choice but to emulate. Obi-Wan was behind him, lightsaber deflecting blaster bolts. Cody had to trust he was all right, because there was no looking back without unbalancing off the ridge.</p><p>In front of him, Skywalker slowed, turning his concentration to the turrets behind them. "Duck," he said, then he leapt, legs tucked under him, right over Cody.</p><p>Cody followed his trajectory, hands braced against the ground and the cliff face, heart in his mouth, but Skywalker landed solidly, lightsaber ricocheting blaster bolts back at the turrets with nonchalant accuracy. “Go!” </p><p>There was nothing for it. Cody ran along the ridge, the generals in his wake. He spied the approaching dropship. It seemed pitifully far away even as it closed the distance towards them. Behind him, Skywalker muttered an expletive of satisfaction, followed by a curse. </p><p>The path widened to reveal its abrupt end.</p><p>“Commander,” called Obi-Wan. “Jump.”</p><p>There was no time to look back. His boots were slipping on the gravel at the cliff edge. Cody focused on the gunship cutting towards them.</p><p>He leapt.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In the last split second his boots were pressed into the dirt, he knew he wouldn’t make it, even as he threw himself off the precipice with all the strength he could muster.</p>
<p>Momentum did not allow for second-guessing. Cody’s feet left the ground and — he was inexplicably thrown high into the air like he’d been flung from a cannon. </p>
<p>Cody hit the deck of the gunship and rolled, just as Obi-Wan did the same beside him. The thud of boots behind him and the additional lurch of the transport told him Skywalker had also made it, if with more grace. A trooper grasped Cody’s arm and pulled him to his feet. Behind him, framed by the open gunship doors, the lower walls of the factory exploded in a multispectral burst of rhydonium, and slowly began to sink into its own foundations.</p>
<p>“Jedi insanity,” said the trooper sympathetically, and patted him on the back. </p>
<p>This — this explained many things. Obi-Wan could defy all instigation of physics. Cody blinked. Why did they even need him?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The mundane answer seemed to be that even Jedi could not break spatiotemporal limitations of being in only one place at a time.</p>
<p>Cody stared at the man in front of him.</p>
<p>“I’ll come back for you,” Obi-Wan had said. “I need to debrief Anakin and report to the Jedi Council.” He looked harried, his tunics still streaked with dirt, but said, “Stay with Captain Rex. You can trust him,” and had promptly disappeared.</p>
<p>Rex was looking at him intently. He looked like Topside, like every other trooper Cody had seen so far. His eyes were bright but his expression carefully flat. “Thanks for the save down there.”</p>
<p>“You’ll have to thank the generals,” said Cody. It felt disingenuous to take credit; he’d only been there for Obi-Wan to babysit. In case Rex did not register the severity of his affliction, he tapped his head with a finger, “I really — it wasn’t an exaggeration.”</p>
<p>Rex cocked his head and let it go. “Have you eaten?”</p>
<p>“No,” admitted Cody.</p>
<p>“This way,” said Rex, fitting his helmet back over his head, and hauled him off down a corridor. “Just keep talking to me and no one will bother us. We’ll get some rations and eat in your office.”</p>
<p>“Office,” said Cody, the cadence of their steps sharp and even.</p>
<p>“It’s more of a supply locker,” said Rex with feeling. “You hide in there with paperwork when you’re feeling petty at Kenobi.”</p>
<p>Cody said, “I see,” although he didn’t. </p>
<p>True to Rex’s word, other troopers stopped to acknowledge them but nobody attempted to interrupt their conversation. </p>
<p>“Do I have to do that?” said Cody, under his breath.</p>
<p>“No,” said Rex, neutral. “You’re the second-highest ranked officer in this system.”</p>
<p>Obi-Wan’s comment about being a walking, talking security risk came back with unpleasant clarity. Rex said, “Wait in here,” gesturing at a very small room with two chairs and a desk. He returned with two trays of food, which barely fit on the table’s surface, but he ignored them to shut the door and lever himself into the second chair. </p>
<p>“I’m Rex. We grew up together, on Kamino.” His mouth twisted, as he picked up a fork and said, “This is strange.”</p>
<p>“You’re telling me,” said Cody dryly.</p>
<p>Rex snorted. “Every time I see you, at least one of us has a crazy story. Usually about the COs. Anakin flipped a tank upside down and shook it till all the droids fell out.”</p>
<p>“I asked mine if we were lovers,” said Cody. Rex’s eyebrows jumped. “And no, we’re not.”</p>
<p>So apparently he didn’t tell good jokes. Or Rex didn’t like laughing. Or —</p>
<p>“Wait.” Cody blinked. “You didn’t know that?”</p>
<p>Rex shrugged. “There might be a betting pool.”</p>
<p>Cody eyed him suspiciously. “Did I just make you rich?”</p>
<p>Rex hummed, but all he said was, “Nah. Fett didn’t raise a quitter.”</p>
<p>Yet another name he didn’t recognise. Cody valiantly held out against an exasperated sigh. </p>
<p>The teasing smile slipped from Rex’s face as he asked, “Are you feeling all right?” </p>
<p>Cody was terrified he was about to jeopardise a galaxy-wide war. His colleagues seemed perfectly happy to let him run amok in live-fire zones. He couldn’t be trusted to retrieve his own rations.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he said.</p>
<p>Rex was looking at him with an unreadable expression. He seemed to reach a conclusion, and jabbed Cody lightly in the chest with his free hand, right in his injured ribs. Cody sucked in a breath.</p>
<p>“Sorry,” said Rex, looking unrepentant.</p>
<p>“What was that for?” demanded Cody. </p>
<p>“You know me,” said Rex. Utterly unenlightening. He looked at his comm. “I need to drop by the medbay. I’ll be right back.”</p>
<p>“All right,” said Cody. Rex was stringing him up. Was this really his closest brother? Maybe Obi-Wan had been wrong. Cody was tired of constantly joining dots and finding they didn’t make a picture.</p>
<p>“Cody,” said Rex, as he stood. It seemed unnecessary. He already had Cody’s attention; the room was really not that large. “Kenobi plays a long game. Maybe you’re not asking the right questions.”</p>
<p>More crypticism, just what was helpful to one man in an intergalactic war who couldn’t remember what he had for latemeal yesterday. Cody pasted a small smile on his face instead of replying and moved his chair so Rex could edge past him and out the door.</p>
<p>He waited, for a brief moment, inspecting his own hands lying still on the table, the food picked at with the efficiency of someone fed calories with mathematical accuracy. Then he stood, pushed the chair in and stepped into the corridor.</p>
<p>Another unfamiliar place. He could retrace their steps back to the hangar, but there was nothing there for him. No, what he wanted was going to be more difficult to find. </p>
<p>He shut his eyes, and the pounding headache came back in full force, the adrenaline from their getaway manoeuvres sadly out of reach in the sterile, well-lit corridor. It was no use to wish people would stop talking circles around him, and less than helpful to hope another hit on the head would restore his memories. Why was Obi-Wan afraid of people knowing what had happened to him? Why was he afraid of Cody knowing who he had been?</p>
<p>Cody shook his head, like he could dislodge these thoughts, and regretted it. It felt like his brains were sloshing around inside his head. Perhaps he could start with finding painkillers. That meant the medbay, and Topside would know what was wrong with him. Rex was well out of sight, but he was allegedly going to the medbay. Cody turned around. He felt disoriented. They must have rearranged more than his memories when he got concussed. </p>
<p>He put a hand on his head, massaging at his temples, to no effect. His hand flattened out and slid along his crown and then the back of his head, absently mapping the curvature of his skull. </p>
<p>A small cut, mostly sealed, above his temple. Then — nothing. It was all smooth. No blunt force trauma. Cody stopped. </p>
<p>This was not a concussion.</p>
<p>The thought clicked into place, sure, immovable. His head hurt, certainly. But it wasn’t a concussion. He didn’t have a concussion. Then —</p>
<p>He broke into a run. It felt unnatural to hear the fast-paced echo of his feet in the corridor, like they were under attack. The corridors flashed past him, disconcertingly similar, blurred by his headache. Nobody tried to stop him, and that almost made it worse. He was trapped, on this ship, a maze of unexplored hallways and identical doors. </p>
<p>Cody rounded a corner to see Rex up in Obi-Wan’s face, voice low, almost threatening. </p>
<p>“— severe bruising or broken. With all due respect, General, what ha —”</p>
<p>Cody stopped, surprised. They spun to face him. </p>
<p>Cody’s throat was dry. He swallowed, over the beating of his heart. Then he said, “I don’t have a concussion.” </p>
<p>Obi-Wan stared at him. </p>
<p>“General Kenobi,” said Cody, compelled to repeat himself. “I don’t —”</p>
<p>“Come in,” Obi-Wan interrupted, and opened the door, and Cody clung to a brief spark of surprise and hope that flickered in his gut. If his feet could remember how to get back to Obi-Wan’s quarters, then perhaps not all was lost.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The room felt no larger than it had before. Rex tucked himself in the corner where Cody’s armour had been, and Obi-Wan slid into one of the chairs, his chair, and Cody realised the other must nominally belong to him. He didn’t take it.</p>
<p>Rex said, “Sir. What happened?”</p>
<p>“We were debriefing Ord Mantell, and making notes for Felucia. The campaign there has been overseen by various battalions throughout the war, yet it goes poorly. There was something about it which Cody thought was odd.” said Obi-Wan. He rested his hand on the table, seemingly lost in thought.</p>
<p>“And then?” prompted Cody.</p>
<p>“Your heart stopped,” said Obi-Wan. “That’s all.”</p>
<p>Rex echoed, “That’s all?”</p>
<p>Obi-Wan shifted his shoulders. “It was as if someone had thrown a switch. Compressions weren’t working. I attempted to use a small electric shock to jumpstart Cody’s nervous system. Then Topside arrived and we relocated to the aft medbay.”</p>
<p>Rex cursed, and said, “Injury on Ord Mantell or Bothawui?”</p>
<p>“No,” said Obi-Wan. “The command centre didn’t see any action on Bothawui, and I can personally attest injury of that magnitude was unlikely to have been sustained on Ord Mantell. Standard post-op scan came back clean.”</p>
<p>“Bad luck?” suggested Rex, although he looked unconvinced. “It’s stressful, being the Commander.”</p>
<p>“I don’t think I’m the sort of person to believe in luck,” said Cody dryly. </p>
<p>Rex looked at Obi-Wan. “Well, fancy that, sir.”</p>
<p>“General Kenobi,” said Cody deliberately, ignoring Rex. “What’s a seventy-nine jenth?”</p>
<p>“What?” said Rex, snapping towards Obi-Wan. “General. You didn’t say this was a seventy-nine. This is a seventy-nine? You called a <em> seventy-nine jenth </em> on <em> Cody? </em>”</p>
<p>“That’s right,” said Obi-Wan. </p>
<p>“A seventy-nine is <em> agent compromised </em> . It’s usually used for intel operatives and information leaks,” said Rex, thumb worrying at the catch of the opposite gauntlet. “Jenth for <em> Jedi High Council only </em>.” He stopped. “The usual protocol is to isolate the individual, but combined with a top secret code —” His eyes widened a fraction. “You didn’t — General Skywalker doesn’t know.”</p>
<p>That had to be out of line, thought Cody apprehensively, although Obi-Wan’s expression hadn’t changed. </p>
<p>“Anakin is not on the Jedi High Council,” said Obi-Wan mildly. There was a byplay here Cody did not understand.</p>
<p>“Yes, sir,” said Rex, mouth a grim line.</p>
<p>“Captain, it is vitally important this stays between us,” said Obi-Wan. “However, there are two things I can share with you. One, what happened to Cody could happen to you. The amnesia is likely a side-effect of having survived something you are not supposed to survive.”</p>
<p>He paused, as if contemplating the truth of his words, then he continued, “Two, I am about to attempt to reverse it. We will need some space.”</p>
<p>Rex appraised Obi-Wan with a surprisingly stern look. Then he nodded, apparently satisfied, and exited the room with a respectful, “Sir.”</p>
<p>Cody coughed politely to hide his apprehension, although he could feel his head throb with the motion. “Is Rex usually this dramatic, sir?”</p>
<p>“Hmm,” said Obi-Wan, drawing his arms to himself, eyes tracing the door as it hissed shut. “Sometimes, you’re worse.”</p>
<p>Cody tilted his head. “What did Topside find?”</p>
<p>Obi-Wan turned his gaze to Cody. “This isn’t a regular case of memory loss,” he said. “I believe it is associated with something you thought, or said, and it triggered a failsafe in this chip.”</p>
<p>He held up a small, flat item, a tiny sliver of a tumour or growth encased in clear epoxy. Cody stared at it. “What is that?”</p>
<p>“An organo-electronic chip,” said Obi-Wan grimly. “It was in your brain.”</p>
<p>“And you told Rex it could happen to him as well,” said Cody. His mind churned sluggishly. “You think there’s one in him.” A pause. “In all of us. <em> Bio-sabotage? </em>”</p>
<p>A million brothers, he had. </p>
<p>“You took it out?” said Cody, words tumbling out of his mouth. “Is this why my head hurts?”</p>
<p>Obi-Wan frowned, and stepped closer. He pressed a palm to Cody’s temple, and Cody almost sighed with relief as the fierce pain behind his brow dampened.</p>
<p>“We took it out,” said Obi-Wan, brows still drawn together. “Topside assured me there would be no side effects from the surgery. This is your memories conflicting with the blocking mechanism left behind.” He lifted his hand from Cody’s forehead. “Let’s try that meditative trance. It would be best if you lay down.” </p>
<p>Cody stripped out of his armour and swung his legs onto the bunk silently, and Obi-Wan dragged a chair over to sit by his side. It was strange to look up at Obi-Wan from this angle, so Cody shut his eyes.</p>
<p>Obi-Wan’s voice filtered through, pitched low and clear. “Neural implants like these are conventionally inhibitors or enablers. The chip prevented you from taking an action, so we can assume it at least inhibits. It was, I think, supposed to kill you.”</p>
<p>Cody shivered, his skin feeling cold and prickly, and felt distantly irritated at his own reaction. One would think the idea of death should be one he was intimately familiar with.</p>
<p>“I am certain I interrupted the process,” continued Obi-Wan, “and it threw up a block instead. The blanket memory loss indicates a lack of finesse on the controls. If part of the block is removed, the rest should come apart.”</p>
<p>“How do you know the memories are still there?” asked Cody. His voice sounded too loud in the dark behind his eyelids.</p>
<p>“Historically, complete mind wipes have been difficult to execute well,” said Obi-Wan, sounding more clinical and amused than Cody thought he had any right to be. Cody’s eyes flicked open as he frowned; Obi-Wan added, “I have reason to believe your memories are only suppressed.”</p>
<p>Cody thought of his fingers snapping the catch on his armour, pulling the trigger of the sniper rifle, setting explosives. “Muscle memory is not the same as — mind memory.”</p>
<p>“No,” agreed Obi-Wan. He was staring at some point between Cody’s shoulder and ear, then he shook his head. “You will have to take my word for it.”</p>
<p>Cody mulled over Obi-Wan’s vague promise for a careful moment, and Obi-Wan cleared his throat. “Memory suppressors can be destabilised by restoring memories around the block. Your neural networks will fill in the gaps.”</p>
<p>“You already tried triggering my memories,” pointed out Cody. “It didn’t work.” They had literally blown up a large freestanding building together, which by all accounts was a regular occurrence in Cody’s forgotten life. </p>
<p>“Which is why we are going to try the meditative trance,” said Obi-Wan. “In the right state of mind, we can manually reconnect memories by sharing mutual experiences. It might be a little fragmented. Memories are not as linear as we tend to expect.”</p>
<p>Cody didn’t think this was something achievable by a regular mindfulness exercise. It must be more of the strange powers Obi-Wan had. <em> Jedi </em>. He steeled himself, no more enlightened as to how they were to reach this state of mind.  </p>
<p>Obi-Wan brushed a hand across Cody’s brow and said, “The trance-sharing bond can be naturally reached in an unconscious state, such as if you were asleep, but we will make do. Follow my breathing.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Deep, even counts. They distracted Cody from the pain in his chest and head. The feelings became distant, and the pent-up tension slowly let his muscles go. He had a flash of worry — perhaps he was falling asleep.</p>
<p><em>Not to worry,</em> said Obi-Wan’s voice, echoed around in his head. <em>Come to me.</em> <em>Let go.</em></p>
<p>So he did, and the back of his eyelids slid from a murky darkness to —</p>
<p>— A familiar face — Rex’s — but dark hair, a scar curling round the side of his eye, the man saluted, and he — Obi-Wan — said something in return. They were in a room that Cody recognised as Obi-Wan’s quarters, there was only one chair —</p>
<p>The scene slid away, nebulous, like a dream, and Cody let it go. </p>
<p>It felt like rifling blindfolded through a drawer full of objects, any familiarity whisked away by the next touch, <em> Debriefs, </em>said Obi-Wan musingly, from far away, a sharp mental tug, and the visions burst into vivid clarity.</p>
<p> — Cody was sitting on the edge of the bed, his torso bare but for startlingly white bandages strapped across his midsection, reading intently from a datapad. Cody was coated head to toe in a fine brown dust, courtesy of the dry season. His helmet was tucked under his arm. The grey shadows under Cody’s eyes were pronounced. His stubble had mingled into beard territory. Cody was standing very close, one hand pressed to Obi-Wan’s ribs, the other wrist by his mouth as he shouted for a medic. The datapads lay forgotten on the table. The top of Cody’s head, Obi-Wan had their hands clasped like a prayer or a benediction. Cody rapping his knuckles on the hull of a damaged Mandalorian-style light frigate. <em> What happened? </em> But Obi-Wan couldn’t look at him. The Temple loomed in the bright, sunny Coruscant skyline. Cody, handing him a cup of tea and artfully exchanging it for the datapad. <em> Go to sleep, General. </em> Cody slid into the chair opposite him, helmet resting on the floor, freshly scrubbed armour belying a deep tiredness. His eyes crinkled, concerned, and fond, and Cody flipped the datapad around to show him something. <em> These reports don’t line up, </em> said Cody — </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The piercing trill of a priority comm split the heady blur of the trance.</p>
<p>His eyes shot open, tremors in his arms and legs, an agitation he couldn’t explain, an expectation of familiarity fading away faster than he could grasp at it. Blood was trickling from his nose and down the back of his throat.</p>
<p>“My apologies,” said Obi-Wan, his voice both sounding very far away and right in Cody’s head as the room jolted back into awareness. The alert had stopped. He was breathing heavily. “No memories?”</p>
<p>“No memories,” said Cody, but his voice sounded funny even to himself.</p>
<p>“Cody,” said Obi-Wan.</p>
<p>“Well, it did clear something up,” said Cody distantly, swallowing blood. The air felt thin. His heart was beating too fast. “You didn’t tell me I — care for you like that.”</p>
<p>“Did it?” said Obi-Wan. “Do you?”</p>
<p>“Did you see my face?” retorted Cody. “No wonder Rex said there was a betting pool.”</p>
<p>“I did see your face, actually,” said Obi-Wan. “These are, after all, my memories of you.”</p>
<p>Cody took a breath, and another in quick succession. It didn’t help. He wiped at his nose with the back of his hand. “It stopped,” he said. “You didn’t show me — what were we talking about just before —”</p>
<p>They were so close. His hands were shaking as he reached out. </p>
<p>“Easy now,” said Obi-Wan, but he pressed both his hands to Cody’s temples, and Cody’s hands fell to clasp his wrists, and they must have wanted the same thing, because Cody squeezed his eyes shut and they were back in this room, at the table — </p>
<p> </p>
<p><em> These reports don’t line up, </em> said Cody. The lines at the corners of his eyes crinkled wryly as he studied the datapad. <em> If the Jedi Council has been investigating the Senate, maybe they haven’t found anything because — </em></p>
<p>He stopped speaking, and pressed a hand to his temple, accompanied by a small grimace of pain. His hand moved to his nose, brow furrowed in confusion as it came away with a thin line of blood. There was no time to ponder; his body tensed, and his face smoothed out, unnaturally expressionless. Then his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed.</p>
<p><em> Cody! </em> snapped Obi-Wan. No pulse. Obi-Wan pushed Cody’s body to the floor. He ripped off Cody’s chestplate and started resuscitation compressions. Cody heard his ribs crack.</p>
<p><em> No, no, no, </em>Obi-Wan muttered to himself, and tilted Cody’s head back, nose pinched, even as he sank back into the depths of his own mind, the part that had a connection to all living things, reaching out with the Force. </p>
<p>There was nothing there. </p>
<p>Obi-Wan recoiled violently, but there was no time to be shocked. He fit his mouth over Cody’s. Two breaths. This wasn’t good. He raised a hand and slashed it downwards, stripping electrons from the air with a single-minded intensity. They gathered in his palm, and rolled to the tips of his fingers, and Obi-Wan pressed them to Cody’s chest. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>From behind Obi-Wan’s eyes, Cody saw the bolt of electricity slide into his skin, a flash of sparks. His body convulsed, unfettered, as Obi-Wan directed the pulse to his heart and his brain, both inexplicably, abruptly shut down, trying vainly to restart any of Cody’s vital life processes. Topside had appeared. Terse words were exchanged; the world blurred disconcertingly as Obi-Wan shouldered Cody’s body and burst into the corridor —</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was right there. That knowledge, that thought, the words he had not had a chance to say. His for the reclaiming, and Cody reached out, reached and reached, clawed and dragged himself closer, even as he struggled for focus. Darkness swooped back into the corners of his mind’s vision, gnawing at the edges of his hold on conscious thought. It was so hard to concentrate.</p>
<p>In a single moment, the memory slipped away.</p>
<p>Cody’s flare of frustration was dampened by the all-encompassing emptiness. Obi-Wan was fighting it, scrabbling at the edges, something he registered only faintly. Sensation faded. With it, the sharp pain in his head dulled, gently replaced by a heavy lethargy. He let it claim him. Who was he, anyway? Nothing but a construct of what these people had told him. Perhaps it was finally time to rest. He was, after all, very tired.</p>
<p>And then Obi-Wan ripped the veil away, his presence made known with a violent and jagged desperation, and pain and knowledge rushed back in with the suddenness of an open wound exposed to salt. He jerked away from it, but there was no escaping -- splitting pain, more thoughts and memories than he could register, and then nothing but the sound of his own heartbeat.</p>
<p>Cody spent a moment adrift, caught somewhere between realisation and enviable ignorance, in the space between consciousness and the void. He grasped at the words, his instincts crying out in self-preservation; but he did it anyway, and they settled, a weight across his mind as he opened his eyes.</p>
<p>The pressure at his temples lessened as Obi-Wan’s fingers withdrew. Cody tried to slow his ragged breathing. His head hurt. His chest hurt. His fingers were digging into his palm where they were curled into a fist. </p>
<p>“I… ah,” said Cody. There really were no words to describe the last twenty-four hours. </p>
<p>“You were surprisingly coherent, despite your memory lapse,” said Obi-Wan with a small smile, although he was pale and sweating.</p>
<p>Cody covered his face with his hands and groaned.</p>
<p>“You were clinically dead for four minutes. I’ll allow it,” said Obi-Wan graciously. His brittle expression sombred. “Who am I?”</p>
<p>“General Kenobi,” responded Cody promptly. </p>
<p>“Excellent,” said Obi-Wan, and stepped away to pour a glass of water. He held it out.</p>
<p>Cody sat up slowly and drained the glass of water. Then he put the glass down and said, “Am I going to have another attack?”, feeling foolishly anxious.</p>
<p>“No,” said Obi-Wan. “Topside took out the chip. You’re safe, Cody.” His hands curled around Cody’s, warm and steady.</p>
<p>He grasped them desperately, feeling the bony knuckles on the back of Obi-Wan’s hands, the callouses on his palms. “Maybe they haven’t found anything,” said Cody carefully. “Because the Chancellor is the Sith Lord.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Obi-Wan stared at him. </p>
<p>“It was a joke,” said Cody desperately. “It was a joke. I spent too much time with Fox, last time we were on Coruscant. He was complaining about filing in the Chancellery being purposefully obtuse.”</p>
<p>But what Fox hadn’t known, wasn’t cleared to know, was that the Jedi Council was investigating the Senate, and General Windu had made Cody sign an entire datachip of waivers the time he’d politely interrupted their closed session to inform them Obi-Wan hadn’t slept in three days. </p>
<p>“It was supposed to be a joke,” repeated Cody. His memory-lost self had been right. He wasn’t very good at making jokes. </p>
<p>Obi-Wan still hadn’t moved. “Sir?”</p>
<p>“Senator for Naboo,” breathed Obi-Wan. Then he put down Cody’s hands and mouthed one word, to himself, the shape of which Cody knew well. </p>
<p>
  <em> Anakin. </em>
</p>
<p>And with that Obi-Wan collected himself, and said, “This is —”</p>
<p>“Circumstantial, sir,” said Cody severely, heart still racing at the ludicrousness of his own statement. Obi-Wan was — Obi-Wan believed there was some shred of possibility this was true. “General Kenobi.” </p>
<p>Obi-Wan exhaled, determinedly not meeting Cody’s eyes. “We’re on our way back to Coruscant. There’s nothing we can do until we arrive.”</p>
<p>All their lines of communication were effectively compromised. “Sir,” said Cody, scrambling to exude a semblance of calm. <em> Treason </em>. “General, this could have been an unfortunate coincidence. You understand the worst-case outcome is incarceration.” With the possibility of execution if it went to a military tribunal, and it would.</p>
<p>“No,” said Obi-Wan, finally looking up at him. “That’s the best case.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Rex was pacing the corridor outside when Cody emerged from the room. </p>
<p>“Rex,” Cody said, meaning to say more.</p>
<p>But there must have been something in his eyes that hadn’t been in the other-him, because Rex hissed, “You missed all the code phrases, I was going to comm Bly.”</p>
<p>“Sorry,” said Cody, and winced. True enough, he’d set off enough red flags for a full scale brother intervention. “Why didn’t you?”</p>
<p>Rex said, “Kenobi called a jenth-level information lockdown,” somewhat patiently, so Cody reprocessed all his recent memories until he encountered that one, and lingered for a moment. The last time Obi-Wan had thrown a seventy-nine jenth, Rex hadn’t been there. They had extracted General Vos from his deep dive gone to shit, and it had been wholly unpleasant. Cody sometimes wondered, in the privacy of his own mind, if they had done Vos any favours by rescuing him. </p>
<p>Not that his mind seemed particularly private, any more.</p>
<p>Rex was grinning. “Did you really ask him if —”</p>
<p>“Yes,” said Cody, and resisted the urge to hit his head against a wall. It hurt enough as was. “Shut up.”</p>
<p>Perhaps he should hit Rex’s head on the wall instead, that might wipe the smirk. Rex just thumped him on the shoulder, his touch lingering a moment long, and wisely retreated down the corridor to where the 501st was quartered.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Obi-Wan forced Cody to lie down again, citing medical reasons. Topside would be so proud.</p>
<p>There was, however, only one bed. </p>
<p>“Is this an excuse to avoid rest yourself, sir?” said Cody. He draped an arm over his face with as much nonchalance as he could muster. His resistance had been token and minimal at best. Obi-Wan had politely but firmly removed his helmet from his grip, where Cody had started to review his backlog of comms; the only thing he had seen was the priority comm from earlier. An order to reinforce General Unduli at Cato Neimoidia, and Obi-Wan had sidestepped it, citing irreconcilable resource shortages and jenth-class information transfer. “I doubt you slept while I was indisposed.”</p>
<p>“How presumptuous,” said Obi-Wan. He was pacing by the table, hands clasped behind his back, body vibrating with inaction. </p>
<p>Just like Skywalker, thought Cody fondly, but said, “Am I wrong?” and made to get up. Reluctance was not becoming of a trooper of his rank. “I should return to my quarters.”</p>
<p>“I would prefer not to let you out of my sight,” said Obi-Wan sharply, and Cody looked at him, surprised, only to wince at the sudden motion of his head. Obi-Wan took three quick steps, and rested the back of his hand against Cody’s forehead.</p>
<p>“Who knows how deep this goes,” said Obi-Wan, and with the pain in his head receding Cody struggled against the onset of a weariness he felt down to his bones. “We will need you, Commander.”</p>
<p>It did not feel like the impersonal tranquility that had almost stolen his mind away, but instead a warm and comforting touch, familiar and soothing, and it was almost enough to chase away the compulsion to ensure Obi-Wan didn’t do anything rash.</p>
<p>“I’ll be right here,” said Obi-Wan, so Cody gave in and shut his eyes.</p>
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